The present invention generally relates to an inflatable docking station/garage and, more specifically, to an inflatable docking station/garage for storing and recharging a Mars roving vehicle.
Conventional Mars rovers are limited to operate at the equator regions of the Mars surface due to extreme environment conditions at the polar region. In addition, conventional Mars rovers contain a solar battery, thereby requiring the conventional rover to stop operation upon the setting of the sun, thus limiting the operational range of the rover.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,363 discloses a portable enclosure to protect a vehicle from the harmful effects of the outdoor environment. The enclosure is made of a flexible sheeting material designed to surround the vehicle. User interaction is required to set-up, open and close the enclosure. The enclosure is ventilated to minimize temperature differentials between the interior and exterior of the enclosure (abstract).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,330 discloses a membrane structure for lunar habitation and operation. The membrane is made up of a continuous and leak-proof fabric membrane that encapsulates the entire structure and is capable of withstanding temperatures of about −190° C. to +140° C. Lunar soil supports the bottom of the membrane. Up to ten feet of lunar soil covers the structure. The deployment of this structure requires excavation of the lunar surface and burial with lunar soil. An entrance to the interior of the structure may be maintained, however, it must be brought through an air lock entrance (col. 7, lines 44-50).
As can be seen, there is a need for an improved planetary surface docking station/garage to house a planetary roving vehicle that may be easily deployed, that may allow for recharging of the roving vehicle, and that may protect the roving vehicle from extreme cold. Such an improved structure is advantageously compact in size, for ease of delivery to the selected planet's surface (such as Mars) while being easily and remotely deployed.